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ROCKY MOUNT – Natron Energy, Inc., a global leader in sodium-ion battery technology, will build the first sodium-ion battery gigafactory in the United States at the Kingsboro megasite in Edgecombe County.

The company will invest nearly $1.4 billion and create more than 1,000 jobs.

“North Carolina’s momentum in the clean energy economy reaches epic proportions with today’s news,” said Governor Roy Cooper in a press release sent Thursday of this week.. “Natron Energy’s choice to build this large and unique battery factory in our state will help the nation reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating good jobs in Rocky Mount, Nash and Edgecombe counties, and many other places in eastern North Carolina.”

Natron Energy, founded in 2012 with headquarters in Santa Clara, California, is a pioneer in the research, development, and manufacture of sodium-ion batteries (NIBs). Natron’s innovative battery cells leverage the company’s patented Prussian blue electrodes to deliver safe, high-power, long-life battery energy storage solutions. The company’s batteries outperform incumbent technologies like lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries across many performance measures, such as cycle life and power density, without the need for rare earth metals and critical minerals such as cobalt or lithium.

Importantly, Natron’s sodium-ion batteries are non-flammable and cannot be induced to thermal runaway, creating a safer solution than counterparts on the market today.

Applications for Natron’s products include backup power systems for AI data centers, military and defense uses, and powering electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations, among others. This application flexibility provides a broad customer base for the company as it sees increased demand across a wide range of end market segments.

The company’s project in North Carolina, known in industry parlance as a giga-scale factory to showcase the high output of its production capacity, will establish operations at the Kingsboro Business Park, located off US 64 between Tarboro and Rocky Mount.

“North Carolina, with its leadership in clean energy manufacturing and commitment to fostering innovation, is an ideal home for Natron and this groundbreaking facility,” said Colin Wessells, Founder and co-CEO, Natron Energy. “This facility will drastically increase the company’s production capacity, creating a sustainable growth trajectory as we seek to fundamentally change the way that industrial power is used. We’re grateful for the partnership of Governor Cooper, North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders, and various state and local officials for their support. We look forward to becoming a member of the North Carolina business community for years to come.”

The North Carolina Department of Commerce coordinated the state’s recruitment of Natron Energy, which also involved several state, regional, and local organizations.

Natron Energy’s project will be facilitated in part by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $3.4 billion.

Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the 1,062 new jobs and the capital investment, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $21,747,000, spread over 12 years. State payments only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets.

Salaries for the new jobs will vary by position, but taken together will average $64,071, increasing the regional payroll by approximately $68 million every year once the plant if fully staffed. The Edgecombe County average annual wage stands currently at $43,183.